SALEM – The southbound lanes of I-81 in Montgomery County are open to traffic.
On Wednesday, May 29, it was discovered that the slope at mile marker 124.8 was unstable and traffic needed to be detoured for safety reasons.
The contractor on the truck climbing lane project has completed paving additional travel lanes on the project to route traffic away from the unstable slope. As an added safety precaution, additional barrier wall has been installed along the old southbound lanes.
Geotechnical experts are still exploring the safest way to bring the slope down. The unstable section of the rock slope appears to be approximately 60 feet wide and 60 feet tall with a 25 foot deep crack.
For the latest information on this detour and traffic updates, visit www.511Virginia.org.